Trust & Obey

Weekly devotional by Penny Olson

Trust and Obey – Promises Kept

When I was approached to consider taking a turn to do a devotional, I was pretty much a Moses…. No, not me, pick somebody else. But here I am, still kind of like a Moses again, doing what God has asked of me.

The scripture for this week is Exodus 12:29-13. 

These verses talk about the last plague, the start of the exodus journey, the Passover, the consecration of the first born, the Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorating the Lord’s rescue of the Israelites from Egypt and the Pillars of Cloud & Fire guiding them safely on the path to the promised land.  One seemingly incidental verse kept drawing me back to it, as I thought of the title I chose for this devotional – 13: 19 “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” 

Joseph had been sold into slavery by his own brothers & had endured many hardships & trials during his time in Pharaoh’s service. But Joseph had remained faithful to God throughout all of this & had been rewarded well. His faith & trust in God’s promise to bring His people into the land of the Canaanites, though he did not know when that would happen, is just one example of the kind of faith we should all strive for ourselves. Monumental!  

Contrast Joseph’s life of trust & faith in God to that of the Israelite people in the time of the exodus from captivity. At almost every turn, the people lamented ever leaving the familiarity of captivity & having to endure hardships & trials along the way. They rebelled & were often disobedient. Yet God remained faithful to them, despite their unfaithfulness & He took them out of slavery & led them to the land of Canaan, as He had promised.  (Promises Kept)

Joseph’s dying words from Genesis 50: 24-26 “And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” ²⁵ Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” ²⁶ So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.” His request affirmed the faithful trust in God that he lived out until his old age & death; faith in a promise that he did not even know if he would be blessed to experience himself.  

(Trust & Obey)

Now the challenge: how are you, going to grow that Joseph kind of faith & live it out until your dying day?

Thank you Lord Jesus for your promises kept. Help my unbelief.